Inside How Perplexity is Disrupting Online Search | Aravind Srinivas (CEO)
Nov 10, 2024
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In this engaging discussion, Aravind Srinivas, CEO and co-founder of Perplexity, shares his vision for revolutionizing online search with their AI answer engine. He explains how they prioritize real user feedback over executive-driven reviews, leading to rapid product development. Aravind also discusses their impressive growth, hitting 100 million queries weekly, and critiques the traditional ad model used by giants like Google. With innovative strategies for integrating ads seamlessly into searches, he challenges the status quo and envisions the future of online advertising.
Perplexity's success hinges on a rapid product development culture that prioritizes urgent feedback from users to enhance innovation.
The company aims to revolutionize online advertising by integrating user-relevant content directly with search results, moving away from traditional link-based ads.
Deep dives
Rapid Product Development Culture
The company fosters a culture of swift product development, emphasizing the importance of urgency in their operations. This mentality is ingrained in every team member, leading to the launch of multiple features in a short timeframe, such as various applications and search capabilities. By leveraging internal users for initial feedback, teams can gauge interest and excitement, which helps determine the likelihood of external success. The approach of allowing teams to operate independently reduces overhead and bureaucracy, promoting efficiency that is often absent in larger organizations.
User-Centric Feedback Mechanism
The emphasis on user-centric feedback distinguishes this company’s review process from traditional models based on hierarchy and authority. Feedback is sought instantaneously during product usage rather than waiting for scheduled review meetings, enabling a more genuine assessment of the product. This method promotes a two-way feedback loop where constant improvements can be made based on real-time user insights. As one of the primary users of the product, the CEO leverages personal experience to provide relevant and actionable feedback that reflects true user needs.
Growth Through Engagement Metrics
Growth strategies are centered around enhancing user engagement by focusing on critical metrics such as the number of queries processed daily. The company initially saw a vast increase in queries from 3,000 to 16 million daily, reflecting successful performance and retention efforts. The connection between usability enhancements—like auto-suggestions and quick responses—and increased user interactions underlines the approach to feature development. Rather than just focusing on user acquisition, the goal is to make the service habitual for existing users, thereby maximizing the frequency of their interactions.
Advertising Innovations in User Experience
A vision for advertising aims to improve user experience by integrating it with valuable content rather than traditional link-based ads that clutter search results. The goal is to create ad units that present questions relevant to users following their queries, enhancing the overall experience. By minimizing disruptions caused by conventional ads, the focus is shifted toward generating demand by connecting users directly to products within the answer interface. This innovative approach not only seeks to maintain a high-quality user experience but also aims to establish a more efficient return on investment for advertisers.
My guest today is Aravind Srinivas, CEO and co-founder of Perplexity.
Aravind is the CEO of Perplexity, the AI answer engine disrupting online search. Aravind gave me an inside look at how Perplexity builds products, how it scaled to 100M queries a week, and how it’ll deliver better ads than Google’s ten blue links.
Timestamps:
(00:00) We don't do product reviews
(01:22) The secret to Perplexity's incredible shipping velocity
(05:16) Giving feedback as a user instead of as the CEO
(07:01) How Perplexity decides what to build next
(10:56) Perplexity's "7 friends in 10 days" metric
(14:02) How Perplexity uses AI to build Perplexity
(17:30) How to get a great job without traditional credentials
(21:50) Key drivers behind Perplexity's growth to 100M queries
(27:50) The future of search ads and why 10 blue links are dead
(35:56) Closing advice to get what you want out of life
Get the takeaways: https://creatoreconomy.so/p/inside-how-perplexity-is-disrupting-search-aravind-srinivas
Where to find Aravind:
X: https://x.com/AravSrinivas
Website: https://www.perplexity.ai/
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